Fiber optic bundles may be used in various applications that involve the transmission of light. A fiber optic bundle is an assembly of multiple optical fibers, each of which is capable of transmitting light from one end of the optical fiber to the other end. Many different types of medical instruments use fiber optic bundles for illumination, imaging, or both. An endoscope is one example of a medical instrument that uses fiber optic bundles. For example, an endoscope may be used to look inside the body at a particular internal organ. The endoscope may include a fiber optic bundle for directing light towards the internal organ. The endoscope may also include a fiber optic bundle for capturing and carry an image of the internal organ to an eyepiece or some other type of image viewer.
Assembling multiple optical fibers to form a fiber optic bundle typically includes terminating the optical fibers at an end of the fiber optic bundle. As one example, a fiber optic bundle may be terminated by potting the optical fibers with a polymer adhesive. The polymer adhesive is cured to hold the optical fibers together and form a barrier at the end of the fiber optic bundle. Further, a sterilization cleaning process may be performed on the fiber optic bundle. This sterilization cleaning process typically involves multiple autoclave cycles that produce heat and steam that can cause the polymer adhesive to break down. Consequently, currently available polymer adhesives may not provide a barrier with the level of leak-tightness or illumination performance that is desired. Thus, improved systems and methods for terminating fiber optic bundles are desirable.